Rafale is game changer, Supreme Court delivered fine judgment: Air Chief

NEW DELHI: Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa on Wednesday called Rafale a game changer and said the Supreme Court has given a fine judgment on petitions against the deal with France on the military aircraft.nnHe also cautioned against politicisation of defence purchases, suggesting that this had earlier led to the delay in the Army acquiring the Bofors gun.nnI am not going to comment on the judgment but the Supreme Court has given a very fine judgment. It has also said that this plane is badly needed, he told reporters here.nnDhanoa said as far as the technology is concerned, there is no argument against the Rafale aircraft .nnHis remarks on the sidelines of a joint military exercise with Russia come days after the Supreme Court dismissed petitions seeking a probe into the Rafale deal.nnThe Congress has alleged irregularities in the deal for 36 aircraft and claimed that the Narendra Modi government is buying them at a price much higher than the one that was being negotiated by the previous government.nnDhanoa said the Indian Air Force has made sure that the aircraft has the best systems onboard.nnHe said the planned procurement had already taken a long time and during this period India’s neighbours have upgraded their own defence arsenal.nnWe need it, given our strategic scenario , he said.nnHe appeared to back the government’s assertion that revealing details on the price of the fully-loaded aircraft would lead to rivals getting to know its capabilities.nnHe said the taxpayers had the right to know where their money goes, but the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) was there to ensure that it was being well spent.nnReferring to the shortfall in the number of aircraft, Dhanoa said the IAF is trying to optimise its resources.nnHe watched Aviaindra 2018, a joint exercise by the Indian Air Force and the Russian Federation Aerospace Force (RFSAF) going on at the IAF station in Jodhpur from December 10 to 21.nnThis edition of Aviaindra is meant to expose the two forces to a counter-terrorism scenario.nnSource: Press Trust of India